by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Wylie overcomes disastrous start to rout Coronado in district opener

Photos by Susanna Jackson, HubCityPreps.com

LUBBOCK — Staring at a 13-0 deficit less than four minutes into its District 2-5A Division II opener against Lubbock Coronado, the Wylie football team found itself in a precarious spot Thursday at Lowrey Field.

But 49 unanswered points before halftime changed that in a hurry as the Bulldogs rallied for a resounding 56-20 victory over the Mustangs.

Wylie ran for 298 of its 490 total yards, getting productive days on the ground from Cooper Jones (5-98, 1 TD), Jett Wilson (9-91, 1 TD) and Kory Gibson (12-80) as it improved to 3-2 on the season and 1-0 in district play.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Gordon ties Abilene High’s Big Country record with 49th consecutive win

GORDON — Heading into Thursday night’s home game against Stephenville Faith, the Gordon football team found itself with an opportunity to equal Abilene High’s 49-game winning streak from 1954-1957 as the longest in the storied history of the Big Country.

Following a 52-32 win over Stephenville Faith in a game that, unlike most games in the streak, went the distance, the Longhorns will have an opportunity to set the new area benchmark next week at Forestburg.

While the consecutive wins are a major milestone, Gordon coach Mike Reed talked about the legacy his players are set to leave behind.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Wall plays host to Midland Greenwood (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)

LAST WEEK: 48-21, .695
SEASON TOTAL: 213-69, .755

After suffering through one my worst mid-season pick weeks in recent memory (by midseason I’m usually zeroed in), about all I could do was raise my eyebrows, shake my haed and get back to work. 

So here goes nothing:

Our Big Country Preps Game of the Week heads south this Friday to Wall, where the Class 3A Hawks will put their 20-game winning streak on the line against a Class 4A toughie from Midland Greenwood. 

Greenwood enters this game at 3-1 after topping Wichita Falls Legacy in a shootout last week, 43-42. The Rangers have averaged 33 points per game against a difficult schedule and are accustomed to big games, so they won’t enter this intimidated. 

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by Mike Lee, Special to Big Country Preps

MIKE LEE’S WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Former Stephenville kickers making their mark in college

Note: If you know of a former Big Country Prep athlete now performing in college or professional sports, contact Mike Lee at michaellee7@att.net.

Two former Stephenville High School kickers — Diego Chavarria and Cade Whitehead — are handling the main kicking duties for the respective college football teams this season.

Chavarria is in his second season at the University of Texas-Permian Basin, a member of the NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference. The Falcons began playing football in 2016. Although the main campus is in Odessa, the Falcons play their home games at Astound Broadband Stadium in Midland.

Whitehead is kicking for Nelson University, a member of the NAIA and the Sooner Athletic Conference. Nelson, located in Waxahachie, was formerly known as Southwestern Assemblies of God, or SAGU.

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by Evan Ren

AREA VOLLEYBALL STATISTICAL LEADERS (Through Sept. 23)

Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Wednesday at 7 p.m. throughout the regular season.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches. If your team is missing, please give your coach a friendly reminder to check their email and submit their stats each week by 2 p.m. on Wednesdays. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie volleyball rolls past rival Cooper to open District 4-5A play

Hosting crosstown rival Cooper to open District 4-5A play, the Wylie volleyball team kicked off league action in dominant fashion Tuesday, sweeping the Lady Cougars  25-5, 25-12, 25-13 at Bulldog Gym.

It was the 11th consecutive victory and 21st in the last 22 matches for the Lady Bulldogs, who are now 27-4 on the year.

Cooper, which split a pair of five-set matches on Saturday with Brownwood and Midland Lee, fell to 11-18 overall and 0-1 in district play with Tuesday’s loss.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIX-MAN REWIND: Week 4 full of competitive matchups as landscape continues to take shape

The area six-man season continues to heat up, and Week 4 may have been the most competitive to date.

With a number of thrilling outcomes dotting the slate, there’s no shortage of great games and individual performances to talk about in this week’s “Six-Man Rewind” column.

We hope you enjoy this look back at last week’s action and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for more information on your favorite team(s).

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 8-2A DII WEEK 4 REPORT: Santo crushes Roscoe; Mart, Frost also win in 3-4 week for league

rioSanto Santo 48, Roscoe 0 — DIllan Branham ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns and Rylan Griffith passed for 121 yards and one TD and ran for another score to lead the Wildcats to a shutout win over the Plowboys.

Erik Montes, Colt Bridges and Jaxon Rice also had rushing scores for Santo, while River Lewis hauled in a 50-yard touchdown pass.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 4-2A DI WEEK 4 REPORT: Ballinger wins thriller over Brady; Forsan, C-City coast to blowout wins

Ballinger 40, Brady 35 — Wyatt Clemens passed for 300 yards and six touchdowns, hitting Hunter Kresta eight times for 186 yards and four of those scores to lead the Bearcats to a thrilling win over the Bulldogs in a rivalry game.

Kresta had TD catches of 12, 3, 43 and 80 yards to help Ballinger (3-1) rally from a 28-21 halftime deficit to claim the victory.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 5-3A DII WEEK 4 REPORT: Comanche, Eastland open league play with victories; Hamilton, Tolar fall

Comanche 21, Clifton 14 — Zaden Tello ran for 108 yards and all three of the Indians touchdowns to lead Comanche (2-2, 1-0) to a big district-opening win over the Cubs.

Tello also had a team-high 44 yards receiving as the Indians stretched a 7-0 halftime lead to 14-0 by the end of the third quarter and held off a Clifton rally in the fourth.

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 13-4A DII WEEK 4 REPORT: La Vega continues to dominate, Brownwood suddenly struggling

Graham 64, Brownwood 9 — Brownwood’s inexplicable slide continues with its second straight lopsided loss after nearly upsetting top-ranked Stephenville two weeks ago. 

Graham rolled up 643 yards in total offense, including 330 through the air to improve to 4-0. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-3A DII WEEK 4 REPORT: Stanton stuns Iraan for first win; Rodriguez fuels Coahoma past Abernathy

Stanton 28, Iraan 26 — Mason Martinez ran for 94 yards and a touchdown and Jayden Hinojosa threw a 65-yard scoring pass to fuel the Buffaloes to an upset win over the Braves on Iraan’s homecoming.

Hagan Hale added 92 yards rushing, and Luis Anaya and Josiah Hall each added scoring runs for Stanton, which ran for 274 of its 339 total yards.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 3-3A DI WEEK 4 REPORT: King, Thompson shine as Wall blasts Ozona; Early fends off Hawley

Wall 51, Ozona 6 — Gunner King, the area’s second-leading passer entering Week 4, regained the top spot with 337 yards and five touchdowns in a blowout win over the Lions.

The senior QB also ran for 60 yards and a score, while Jager Thompson received for 110 yards and a TD and Gunner Garza added 78 yards and a score on the ground.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 4-4A DII WEEK 4 REPORT: Graham, Mineral Wells cruise to wins; Brock enjoys open date

Graham 64, Brownwood 9 — Cooper Corley passed for 367 yards and a pair of touchdowns while running for 125 yards and four more scores to lead the Steers to a lopsided win over the Lions.

Behind the dual-threat quarterback and the receiving trio of Brodie Martin (3-103), Bryce Martin (4-92) and Parker Hale (4-78, 1 TD), Graham (4-0) piled up 692 yards of total offense in the victory.

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by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-4A DI WEEK 4 REPORT: Snyder snaps skid with win over Andrews; Estacado too much for Big Spring

Snyder 8, Andrews 3 — The Tigers broke through for their first victory of the season, winning a defensive slugfest on homecoming to snap a 21-game losing streak dating back to Sept. 6, 2024.

Trailing 3-0 after allowing a field goal early in the second quarter, coach Anthony Gonzales’ Tigers (1-3) responded with eight unanswered points to take an 8-3 lead into halftime that would stand the rest of the way.

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 7-2A DII WEEK 4 REPORT: Stamford, Miles, Albany, Winters all score wins

Stamford 27, Cisco 7 — The Bulldogs stunned Cisco with a 21-0 second quarter and then held on to get the win on the road. 

Christopher McCan rushed for 110 yards, including a 90-yard TD run in the third quarter, and miles Follis threw for 216 yards and two scores to lead the Bulldogs (2-2). 

Cisco (2-2) was led by Colby McElroy, who rushed for 145 yards and threw for 117

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Early outbattles Hawley in spotlight game

HAWLEY —There was nothing cute about Early’s 21-14 win over Hawley in Friday’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week at Forrest  Field.  It was largely a two-man game in the EHS backfield with one zone read play after another between quarterback Caden Wilson and running back Isaac Ibarra. 

This, backed by a sturdy Longhorn defense which limited Hawley to only two scores, lifted Early to a 4-0 record on the year in a physical game spent largely in the trenches. 

Ibarra rushed for 103 yards and two scores, Wilson rushed for 55 and threw for 80 and the EHS defense forced two key turnovers to keep the ‘Horns unbeaten. 

Hawley (2-2) was led by Jagger Wiley with 150 yards passing and one TD and Brycen Stofel, with 103 yards rushing and one score.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Stephenville answers every challenge in 42-23 win over Wylie

The Stephenville football team trailed Wylie midway through the second quarter and led by just five (21-16) after three quarters of play on Friday at Hugh Sandifer Stadium. But strong finishes to both halves allowed the Yellow Jackets to pull away for a 42-23 win in front of a packed homecoming crowd.

The Yellow Jackets scored 14 points in the last five minutes of the second quarter to go to halftime up 21-10 and outscored the Bulldogs 21-7 in the final period to turn a one-score game into a three-touchdown win.

Wylie passed for 301 yards on its way to 400 yards of total offense. But the Stephenville defense allowed just 16 points on five trips inside its own 25-yard line, stopping a fake field goal attempt late in the first half and intercepting a pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter to allow the offense to create some separation with an efficient, workmanlike effort.

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: No. 5 Jacksboro surges past Bowie, 70-34

Photos by Kael Duncan

BOWIE – Fifth-ranked Jacksboro looked the part Friday night as the Tigers spoiled Bowie’s homecoming with a 70-34 rout at Jackrabbit Stadium.

The Tigers showcased their offensive versatility in improving to 4-0, amassing 668 total yards against a Bowie defense that had only surrendered 20 points in its first three victories.  

And the way Jacksboro attacked the Jackrabbits was most impressive. Sophomore running back Ryder Davis racked up 270 rushing yards and four touchdowns, while quarterback Hoytt Wesson added 140 on the ground.

Wesson also threw for 210 yards and four scores as Travis Mitchell hauled in two touchdowns while Kase Dennis and Padun Seaberry also found the end zone.

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by Mike Lee, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Goldthwaite Eagles corral De Leon’s high-flying offense in 24-13 decision

Photos by Terry Thompson

GOLDTHWAITE — It wasn’t so surprising that the Goldthwaite Eagles beat the De Leon Bearcats 24-13 on Friday night at Gary Proffitt Stadium. Both teams came in 3-0 and were expecting their toughest test of the young football season.

But it was surprising that Goldthwaite’s defense limited De Leon’s high-flying offense to 13 points and 305 total yards. The Bearcats came in averaging 46 points and 450 yards per game.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Dominant rushing attack leads Cooper to homecoming win over Odessa High

Cooper football coach Scott Stewart had to wait until the fourth week of the season for his home coaching debut — but his squad made sure that he picked up the win in pretty dominating fashion on Friday night.

The Cougar offense held the ball for over 30 minutes of action and ran for 364 yards on 48 carries, getting rushing scores from four players as CHS picked up a 34-14 win to close out nondistrict play with a 2-2 record.

“An old coach once told me that you want to keep the offense sweaty and the defense dry,” Stewart said. “We had some sustained drives and tired their defense out, and ours was ready to go when they came out.”

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Veteran Wylie QB Karleskint maturing into one of area’s top playmakers

With a full season of starting experience under his belt, Wylie quarterback Jadin Karleskint entered his senior year with high expectations — both for himself and from those around him.

Tabbed as a team captain and the undisputed leader of the Bulldogs offense, the talented signal caller came into this season looking — and being leaned upon — to improve on junior campaign that saw him complete 124 of 176 passes for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns in leading WHS to a 5-5 record.

While the season started with some frustration in a 13-7 home loss to Brownwood in which the Bulldogs failed to score a point in four red zone trips, Karleskint and his Wylie cohorts have been delivering on their substantial potential since, rebounding from that season-opening setback to blast Lubbock Monterey 49-3 before downing Wolfforth Frenship 28-21 in a game that wasn’t nearly as competitive as the final score might indicate.

And Karleskint has been right in the center of the team’s success, playing at a high enough level to sit fourth in the Big Country Preps coverage area in passing yards (755) and seventh in passing touchdowns (8) as Wylie (2-1) gets set to host area rival and defending state champion Stephenville (3-0) on Friday for homecoming.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Branham’s return from February car crash has close-knit Santo squad playing inspired football

Even if you’re a fervent follower of Big Country football (the tipoff being that you consider Wednesday a holiday because that’s when you can peruse the stats for all the area leaders), you might not be aware of the following:

  • The most important rushing feat of 2026 already took place.
  • It happened during the first week of the season.
  • It covered all of 17 yards.
  • And, finally, Santo’s Dillan Branham was the ball carrier.

Don’t bother looking for his name in this week’s statistical roundup. It won’t be there. No matter; after reading this story, regardless of your conventional rooting tendencies, the Santo Wildcats will almost certainly join your roster of favorite teams.

And Branham will definitely become one of your favorite players.

Here’s why …

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Unbeaten Early travels to Hawley (w/ Evan Ren’s Big Country Picks)

LAST WEEK: 55-14, .794
SEASON TOTAL: 165-48, .774

The Early Longhorn have quietly stayed under the radar while posting a 3-0 record thus far, notching wins over Merkel, Breckenridge and Ballinger — the last two of which were quite convincing with scores of 47-18 and 34-0. 

The secret is out, the Longhorns are good.

But in this week’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week, not only will Early face its most challenging test thus far at Hawley, but it will likely go into the matchup as a slight underdog. 

At this stage, Hawley has faced a tougher overall schedule, but the Bearcats are at home and they’re more accustomed to big matchups.

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